Vending-machine.



S. M. STROOCK.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1901 Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Md 0 W "W5 hi ma es S. M. STROOCK.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1907.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 1/98 tn eases @7141? M M 5m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. ST-ROOOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC INVENTIONS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

V'END ING-MACENE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed Mambo, 1907. florialNo. 860,676.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. 'STROOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and/ State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vending Machines,of which the following is a spoolfication. I

This invention relates to a vending machine of that type provided with a plurality of magazine chutes for holding bottles of witch hazel, bay ruin, containers for collar buttons, matches, confections and other articles for use at places of amusement, hotels, restaurants and other public places.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, composed of few parts, re-

liable and efiicient in use and readi y kept in order.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vending machine in which the operating parts are so arranged that the necessity of springs for restoring the mechanism to normal condition is eliminated, thus insuring the machine against derangement and getting out of repair.

80 Another object of the invention is to provide a push and pull device which operates in one direction through a coin to actuate the dispensing lever to enable the articles in the magazine tube to feed and which 0 -v erates directly on the lever to discharge t e lowermost article from the machine, the push and ull device insuring a positive actuation oi the dispensing mechanism.

A still further object is the employment of a simple form of locking device so arranged as to automatically hold the dispensing lever against operation by the push and pull meansexcept when a coin is dropped into the machine so that the push and pull means can operate through the coin to simultaneously release the locking device and actuate the dispensing lever.

Another object is the provision of a shutter arranged over each discharge opening of magazine chutes for preventin the .forcible ejection of the articles from t e chutes by the positive actuation of the dispensing levers. 5

With these objects in view and others, as

will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the appended claims. 0

In the accompanying drawings which i-i lustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the vending machine, showing the parts in normal position. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the machine with the back removed. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line -3-3, Fig. 1 and looking downwardly. Fig. 4. is a vertical section showing the dispensing lever of one of the magazines being actuated through the medium of a coin. Fig. 5 is a similar View showing the dispensing lever in one extreme position by full lines and the other-extreme position *for discharging an article by dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a-perspective view ofone of the shutters dis osed over the discharge openin s-of'the c utes.

Simi ar reference characters are employed to designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a box-like casing preferably formed with the ends and sides 1 and 2 integral with the front 3, and the back of the casing is closed by aback plate a that has a bottom plate 5 adapted to engage under the casing A, there being provided a suitable lock 6 for holding the back in position. The bolt 7 of the lock enters an o ening in the top of the casing and'coopera es w1th a dowel 8 on the bottom of the casing that enters the bottom plate 5 for holding the casing and back together. The front 3 of the casing has one or more coin-receiving openings 9 and article discharging opening or openings 10. In the present instance, a vending machine is illustrated having three magazine chutes 11 that are formed by the sides 2 of the casing and a plurality of spaced partitions12 extending rearwardly from the inner surface of the front 3, the chutes being open at the rear for permitting them to be re-charged, and a cover or door 13 suspended on pintle lugs 14 is employed for closing the rear of the chutes. The chutes 11 have their walls converged at their lower ends so as to retain the articles in the chutes. The lower ends of the chutes are slotted from the front to the rear, and movable back and forth in the slots 15 are dispensing levers 16 of the diseo an opening 34 in the casing fronttoengagg vIIO I their lower ends on a shaft-21 supported in arrangeddto engage the front of the casing .a coin is dropped into the machine.

chargin' mechanisms. In prder to prevent the artic es from being forcibly e ected from the discharge openings 10, a shutter 16' 1s arranged over each opening so as to retard the movement of the article as it is e ected. Each shutter comprises a metal body lunged on a rod 17 at the up er front portion of the casing-and supported on lugs 18 extendmg forwardly from the casing. The shutters 16 are all hinged on the rod or shaft 17 and they are freeto swing outwardly at the1r lower ends. Each shutter has rearwardly extending longitudinal flanges 19 the lower ends of which are formed into lugsl20, as shown in Fig. 6, for preventing the article being dischargedfrom droppmg out laterally; The shutters are of sufiiclent weight that, the articles are held in position by the. shutters bearing onthe outer ends thereof, when the articlesare full'y advanced by the dis ensing levers, thus preventing the artic es from dropping.

, The dispensing levers 16 are fulcrumed at the sides 2 of the casing at the ower end thereofand these levers are held in alinement with their respective chutes 11 by spacing sleeves 22, on the shaft 21. The u per ends of the leyerscldareprovidedyvith fbrwardly extending heads 23 on which the articles in the chutes 11 are normally suspended and below the head 23 of each lever 1s a stop pin 24 to arrest the forward orejectin movement of the lever. Extending latera y -from 0neside of each lever is al 25 that cooperates with a coin-actuated locking-device for holding the lever against actuation except vvihhein s locldng device comprises a hook shaped detent 26 having'a depending arm 27 arranged in the path of the coin employed to operate the dispensing lever associated with the looking device. he detents 26 of the several locking devices are fulcrumed on a horizontal shaft 28 supported on the sides 2 of the easing and disposed behind the coin-receiving o enings 9. Extending across the back of. t e openings 9 is a horizontally extending Igning a guard for controlling the insertion of thecoinsintetheimachine.

The coin actuating means for tlFdispens ing means and lockin devices each comprises a pair of spaced rois 30 passing through openings in the front 3 of the casing and connected at their rear inner ends by a yoke 31 and at their forward ends by a grip or hand hold 32, and carried by the hand hold is a push fingernonrodjithat extends through an a utment 35 on the dispensing lever arranged in line with the actuating means. The abutment 35 of eachf dispensing leveris a hook-shaped projectionbetween which and of the being clearly sh own in Fig.2. Arranged below. each com-receiving opening 9 are spaced projections 36 on the rear side of the front 3 which reserve the coins "andwherebythe latter are held in operative relation with the push fin ers 33, a utments '35, and arms 27 etents. .Each lever 16 extends between the rods 30 of the push and pull device for actuating the same and the yoke connectedwitheachpair of rods serves to move the adjacent lever 16 'forwardl for eject' the articles from the chute The. ush diid pull devices thus serve b :means 0 the central fingers 33, to swing e dispensing levers backwardly from under'thecfolumns of articles in the chutes sothat'the columns can move bodily downwardly for sitioning the lowermostc'articles in line wit the dischar openings and further serve by means of t e yokes 31 toi'move the levers forwardly to eject the lowermost articles. The hand holds 32 0f the push and pull devices are preferably castings having parallel sockets 38 into which the outer ends of the rods 30 and 33 are engaged, the castings bein in the shape of the letter M, as shown in ig. 3. The 1nner ends of the socketed arms 38 of the hand holds'or-g'rips are adapted to abut the front surface 0 the casing 3 and thus act as stops for limiting the inward movement of the individual push and pull devices anddispensing levers operated thereby.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the constructions and of parent to those invention appertains.

In operatlon, the vending machine is charged by first removing the casing A with the attached parts from the back 4 and then raising zhe chute cover 13 so that the individual chutes-can be supplied with the -articles,iwhich, in the present instance, are representedasbo les. The casing and back are then put to ether and the machine is loaded for use. On the shutters 16 may be applied suitable words or advertising to indicate the articles contained in the chutes. A person desiring one of the articles, places a coin in the coin-receiving openin 9 below ihe chute in which the deslre'd artic e iscontainedT'This coin drops between the inner end of the push finger33 below the said the adjacent push-finger 33 a-coin adapted opening and theadjacentarm 27 of the looking devlce and abutment 3.5 of the dispensing at one si e of and 'ad'acent-tothe abutment the method of o eration will be readily a ed in the art to which t e' lever so that H t sition of the coins to the lovers ,and detents or ejectinglever 16. The person then pushes inwardly on the grip 32, thereby simultaneously causing the finger 33 to operate through the coin to release the locking device and swing the lever I 16 rearwardly from under" the column of articles in the chute, whereupon the articles in the chute move downwardly to bring the lowermost one opposite the discharge openingthereof. The dispensing lever is now in the full line position shown in Fig. 5, and the coin has been dropped to the bottom of the casing. The grip 32 is then pulled forwardly to cause the ever whose head is engaged behind the lowermost bottle, to move the said bottle outwardly through the opening 10, the bottle coming into engagement with the relatively heavy shutter which latter is moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5 to serve to hold the bottle from being thrown out during the forward movement of the dispensing lever. The grip 32 can be actuated by one hand by the operator, while the other hand is held under the discharge opening 10 to take the bottle after it has been ejected. During the forward movement of the lever 16, the lug 25 thereof engages the companion detent, whereby the latteris raised to interlook behind the said lug for the purpose of preventing the dispensing lever from being pushed backwardly by any one attempting to operate the push and pull device without first putting a coin into the machine.

I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that various chan 'es may be made when desired, as are within t e scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, a chute therein for holding a plurality of articles, a member mounted to move back and forth to eject the lowermost article in the chute, a lock for holdin the member in normal position, a manua ly-actuated means arranged to directly engage and operate through a coin or.

- equivalent device to engage the lock and simultaneously release the latter and move the member in one direction, and a manually-actuated means for positively movin the member in the opposite direction an causing the lock to automatically set.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a chute for holding a plurality of articles; a member for discharging the articles from the chute; a manuallyactuated device for positively moving the member in both directions, sald device comprising two parts, one for engaging the member to move it in a direction to discharge an article and the other arranged to operate through a coin to move the discharge member in the'opposite direction, and a grip connected with both parts, and a locking device arranged to be released by one of the said parts through the agenc of the coin.

3. In an apparatus 0 the class described, the combination of a dispensing lever, a locking means arranged to normally hold the lever in locked position and adapt it to be automatically released by engagement with a coin, and means for holding the coin in cooperative relation with the said locking means, with a manually-actuated device for moving the lever in both directions, said device comprising separate members, and a grip connected with the members, one mem her being arranged to directly engage the lever for moving it in one direction and the other arranged to operate through the coin to release the locking means and to move the lever in the other direction.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, an article-containing chute therein, a lever fulcrumed in the casing and movable into and out of the chute for discharging articles therefrom, an abutment on the lever, a coin rest in the casing, and a locking means for the lever arranged adjacent the coin rest to be released by the coin, with an actuator for the lever comprising a pair of parallel members extending into the casing, one member engaging behind the lever for moving it in a forward direction and the other member being arranged to engage the coin and press the latter against the abutment and locking means to release the latter and move the lever rearwardly, and a grip secured to the outer ends of the members and holding the latter in parallel relation.

5. In a coin controlled machine, a chute containing articles to be vended, a normally locked goods delivery lever working in the same to push the articles outward,'and constructed and arranged to be moved directly by the coin, a swingin arm or bell crank to lock the said lever an the lower portion of which is adapted to be automaticall held in normal position and to be also move directly by the coin to release the oods delivery lever and to move inwardly s multaneously with the said lever, and a manually-actuated device constructed and arranged to hold the coin against both the-said arm and lever, and to move the lower portion of all three parts inwardly, the manually actuated device being also adapted to control, and to loosely engage, the goods delivery'lever, in order to drop the coin, upon being pulled outwardly, before pulling the goods delivery lever back to its normal position.

'6. In a coin controlled machine, a chute same to push the articles outward consisting of a pivoted lever having a depending arm and constructed and arranged to be moved directly by the coin, a swinging arm or bell 5 crank to lock the said lever and pivoted intermediate the ends of'the said lever and having a de ending arm lying a litt e in advance or orward of the first named depending arm, and constructed and arranged 10 to be automatically held in normal posltion, and to be also moved directly by the coin to release the goods delivery lever, and the lower portionof which is adapted to move inwardly simultaneously with the said lever 15 and a manually-actuated device consisting o a horizontally movable structure havmg wires or arms constructed and arranged to hold the coin against the said dependmfi arms, and to move the lower portion of three arts inwardly 'simultaneousl the 20 manna y-actuated device being also a apted to control, and to'loosely engage, the goods delivery lever in order to dro the coin, .up'on being pulled outwardly be ore pullin thegoods delivery lever bac to its norma 26 pos1t1on. a

In testimon whereof, I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

SAMUEL M. STROOCK. Witnesses:

J. H, KINsEY, CAROLINE KOSHOWSKY. 

